6/13/2009

A better public transport system

Our public transport system has improved since it was privatised. If it still remained as a stats board, it will continue to crawl at snail pace. That is if one believes the mantra that privatisation will naturally lead to efficiency and profitability. I don't believe a little wee bit in this stupid assumption. Neither do I believe that a stats board will be inefficient simply because it is not privatised. How efficient is an organisation depends on the top management and the will to make it efficient. Even low pay can be efficient but not for long as the underpaid workers will leave for greener pasture. Political will or management will, is the key to efficiency.
The other point is the unimaginative mindset that an efficiently run public transport system must be packed with commuters and Tokyo is the standard to live by. The train and buses should be made a preferred mode of transportation by being fast, efficient, clean and comfortable. Not being squeezed and forced to smell everyone's body odour. A little lesser profit or less profit minded may be the reason for an overhaul of the public transport system.
And with the pandemic of H1N1, our trains and buses are death traps. One person can literally infected the whole train or bus. The more compact and crowded, the more will be infected. Hygiene and health consideration must take priorities under the current flu crisis.
This could be the cause of why New York and Melbourne are now so deadly, the centres for the spread of H1N1 viruses.

4 comments:

The infrastructure and hardware of our mass transport system may be world class but the people it serves is definitely third world.

I scrimped and save so that I can afford a jalopy to avoid seeing this on our MRT:

1. People eating and drinking merrily away despite all the signages exhorting them not to.2. The public display of affection. Kissing, fondling and some literally coupling on the floor.3. Children running around the carriages or jumping up and down the seats like they are in a park.4. People sneezing without covering themselves as if they want everyone to enjoy some of the virus misted out.5. Crowding around the entrances to board without giving a chance to those coming out.6. Leaky earphones so you can even hear what the poor sod is subjecting his ears to.7. The unsustainable influx of foreign Ts jabbering away in a mix of unSingaporean tongues making a jarring din.8. Trains running too slow. Once upon a time, the chime for door closing was a sleepy "ding dong". No urgency at all. After all, this is a Mass Rapid Transit system remember? Then, if you look out the window, you can literally see cows grazing in the pastures. Only recently did someone in the management woke up and emulated Hong Kong's businesslike audio alerts. WTF.

this is applicable not only to the mrt, the whole country is in the same situation. the bulk of the population are not world class, in attitude, mindset and in the pocket. but we have facilities and infrastructure to cater for a world class people.

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